Moscow: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen was to meet Russian leaders Wednesday in Moscow, the first visit by a head of the Western military alliance since the Georgia war blew a Cold War chill through ties.
Furious disputes over Russia`s actions in its war with Georgia last year led to a halt in cooperation between the two sides, but Rasmussen has vowed to rebuild trust since taking office in August.
"Given the announcements by the new NATO secretary general about increasing the quality of partnership with Russia, special attention will be put on activating cooperation to increase trust," the Kremlin said in a statement ahead of the visit.
It said the two sides would also discuss important international issues, including Afghanistan, Iran`s nuclear programme and the peace process in the Middle East.
Rasmussen is to meet all the key players in Russia in a packed schedule of meetings on Wednesday, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On Thursday Rasmussen is to meet more top officials and also give a keynote speech to the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations, according to the Kremlin.
As NATO forces step up the fight against the Taliban, the alliance will be looking for greater assistance from Russia on Afghanistan, an area where Moscow has been wary of involvement since the debacle of the Soviet invasion.
Russian media have also reported that Rasmussen may be seeking more concrete cooperation from Russia by giving the coalition AK-47 assault rifles, armoured personnel carriers and other military hardware.
"No one in NATO expects Russia to again send its soldiers into Afghanistan. But we can do a lot together," Russia`s Nezavisimya Gazeta quoted an official as saying.
In a keynote policy speech in September after taking office, Rasmussen had described improving relations with Russia as one of the key priorities of his tenure.
PTI
